


Calm Before the Vows

by DrPickle



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Berk's Grapevine Secret Odin Exchange, Berk's Grapevine Secret Odin Exchange 2019, Fluff, Gen, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-28 22:10:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17795675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrPickle/pseuds/DrPickle
Summary: ~Secret Odin gift for 1998ebb on Tumblr! Happy very late Snoggletog!~Astrid gets ready for her wedding with a bit of assistance from her friends and mother-in-law.





	Calm Before the Vows

Today. Astrid was getting married today. She had to remind herself of this as she sat at the table in her hut, making the finishing touches to her bridal attire, because it didn’t seem to be real yet. 

 

Astrid's mother had commented on her calm frame of mind this morning. While Astrid was entirely unruffled, her mother had been bustling around the house, talking with her hands, chattering about this and that and frequently commenting on her own nervousness. Thankfully, Astrid's father had come in, given his wife a big kiss on the cheek, and told her she was needed to help with preparations for the wedding feast in the Great Hall. With one last nervous squeal and a warning to Astrid about “the jitters”, her mother had hurried out the front door.

 

Not long afterwards, Valka had knocked and offered to help Astrid get ready. Mrs. Hofferson had apparently told her to come down because they had the cooking taken care of, but the faint smell of something burning that came into the hut with Valka made Astrid suspicious that her mother had other reasons for sending her here. 

 

At any rate, the switch was a good one. Much as Astrid loved her mother, she was a bit of a chatterbox and she was now enjoying Valka’s calm, solid presence. Valka had just set the flatiron on the stove to heat when someone knocked on the door.

 

Had Ruffnut gotten back from  picking flowers already? “Come in, Ruffnut!” yelled Astrid, looking up from the cape fastening she was polishing.

 

The door swung open and a dark-haired young woman stepped inside. “I’m unfortunately not Ruffnut, but may I come in anyway?”

 

Astrid shoved the heavy fur cape off her lap. “Heather! You made it!” she cried, running to greet her old friend.

 

“We did, thank Thor,” Heather replied, bumping forearms with Astrid and hugging her tightly. “Ships aren’t as reliable as dragons. We were sailing into a headwind all day yesterday. One of the many reasons I miss Windshear.”

 

“I know,” said Astrid, her voice becoming softer. “I miss Stormfly, too. I bet they're happy, though.” She pulled away from the hug. “I’m glad you made it here in time! I was worried you wouldn't get here. Valka, this is Heather, Queen of the Berserker Tribe. Heather, this is Hiccup’s mother, Valka.”

 

Valka stepped away from the stove, smiling softly and giving Heather a firm handshake. “I’ve heard so many things about you from my son and his friends. It’s good to finally meet you.”

 

“It’s good to meet you too,” said Heather. “Astrid said you'd returned  in her last letter. I hear there’s quite a story behind that.”

 

Valka nodded. “I’d love to tell you sometime. But for now, we have a wedding to prepare for.”

 

“Is there anything I can help with?” asked Heather.

 

“I’ll have the iron ready in a minute. Can you sew? The dress needs a couple last-minute alterations.”

 

“I’m not an expert, but yes,” Heather replied, walking to the table and examining the wedding dress. Valka went back to the stove, and Astrid sat back down at the table to comb the fur of the cape. “Did you make this, Astrid? The embroidery is beautiful!”

 

“Ha! No. Sewing is more Hiccup’s thing. I did put the skirt together, but Valka sewed the bodice. And you’ll never guess who did the embroidery as a wedding present.”

 

“Who? Snotlout?” joked Heather.

 

“Yes, actually,” said Astrid.

 

Heather looked intensely amused. “Don’t tell me he’s still trying to hit on you right before your wedding!”

 

“No, he quit trying years ago. This was a genuine gesture of good will.”

 

“Wow,” said Heather. “I didn’t know he had it in him.”

 

“The good will or the embroidery skills?”

 

“Both,” said Heather. “What do you need me to do here?”

 

Astrid laughed. “The hem needs to be taken up a couple inches. I don’t want to trip.”

 

“Got it.” Heather threaded a needle and began hemming.

 

They worked for a while uninterrupted, chatting and catching up on everything that had happened on Berserker Island and New Berk. Heather had been busy chiefing her people and restoring order after they’d gone so long without a proper leader, or at least as much order as was possible. They were still Berserkers, after all. But that combined with everything the Berkians had gone through since the Dragon Riders left the Edge meant they hadn’t seen each other for five years, only staying in touch through first Terror Mail and then the much slower and less reliable letters sent between their islands by boat. 

 

Although the action and the whirlwind of events had taught them, had given them so much, and had even taken away so much, and the Vikings were at heart people of excitement and war, it was pleasant to have a lull in which chiefs could visit neighboring islands and have weddings. This was the peace Stoick had wanted, and Hiccup had worked for. Everyone seemed to agree that violence was just fine being restricted to things like manuring Einar’s house because he let his yaks roam free and refused to clean up after them.

 

Valka was right in the middle of admiring Heather’s Razorwhip axe, which she still carried everywhere, when someone knocked on the door again. Only this time it was less a knock and more just the door being kicked open.

 

“What is UP, bride-to-be!” yelled Ruffnut, dumping an armful of flowers and sticks on the table. “Hey, Heather! It’s been awhile, glad you decided to show up, you don’t look a day over 23. Didn’t bring any tall, available warriors with you, did ya? I’d say tall, available, and handsome, but I’m taking a realistic approach.”

 

“Good to see you again, Ruffnut,” Heather laughed. “It’s just me, Vorg, Hjalmar, and Dagur.”

 

Ruffnut wrinkled her nose. “Taken, short, taken AND short. Maybe I’m still not being realistic enough. How taken is taken?”

 

Astrid didn’t think that deserved a response. “Dagur’s here?” she asked, instead of letting Heather answer.

 

“Yeah!” said Heather. “He wouldn’t miss being Hiccup’s best man for anything. He made a beeline for the chief’s hut as soon as we landed. I think a couple people may have gotten knocked over or minorly concussed.”

 

Astrid nodded sympathetically. Dagur apparently hadn’t changed much.

 

“The iron’s hot,” called Valka from the stove. “Heather, if you’re finished with the hemming you can use it now.”

 

“Thanks!” Heather took the thick piece of cloth Valka handed her, and laid it out on the table before spreading the dress over it and testing the iron’s temperature.

 

While Heather began pressing the dress, Valka walked to the other side of the table where Astrid was sorting through Ruffnut’s heap of flowers. “Ruffnut, dear, these are lovely.”

 

“Thank you,” said Ruffnut. “I figured I’d get a bunch of different colors and let you guys pick. I’d personally go with the blue ones. Really make your eyes pop.”

 

Astrid looked at Valka. “What do you think?”

 

“I think today is your day, and you should choose. You don’t need your mother-in-law bossing your wedding.”

 

“Oh, come on,” Astrid said playfully, “Don’t be silly. I asked you. You’ve been so supportive of Hiccup and I this whole time, and I want your opinion. ‘Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.’ What did you have at your wedding? Maybe this could be the ‘something old’.”

  
  


“Or the ‘something blue’,” said Ruffnut insistently.

 

Valka smiled a bit wistfully. “Stoick and I were wed during a different time. We had his grandparents’ ceremonial helmets.”

 

“Well, then,” said Astrid, “maybe we could use those instead! Keep an old tradition going.”

 

“I believe they were melted down into dragon killing weapons.”

 

Astrid winced. “I’m sorry, Valka.”

 

“It’s fine, dear.”

 

There was awkward silence for a moment, Heather’s iron hissing as steam went up from the white dress. Valka finally held up a small, rounded flower, so faintly pink it could be mistaken for white. “I think these would be lovely against your hair.”

 

Astrid took it. “Perfect. Heather?”

 

“I agree!” Heather responded enthusiastically.

 

Ruffnut folded her arms, glancing back and forth between them. “Oh. That’s right, no one needs my advice. Forget I said anything!” She began gathering up the remaining flowers, mumbling about how some people lacked decent fashion sense and couldn’t sense it if it bit them on the nose.

 

“Sorry, Ruff,” said Astrid.

 

“Oh, that’s fine. I’ll just go take these to Hiccup. He has enough panache to appreciate a blue flower crown.” Ruffnut paused. “Speaking of the groom, you aren’t having second thoughts, are you?”

 

Astrid snorted. “No. Why?”

 

“Well, Hiccup is Hiccup. Great guy and all, but Viking vows are forever.” Ruff leaned in conspiratorially. “Y’know they say nothing can break ‘em but death and axes.”

 

“Isn’t the saying ‘nothing is certain but death and axes’?” 

 

“Don’t question it. My point is, Hiccup’s always been a little off his rocker. Those things only get worse with age. What if he decides to sail to America when he’s 40, or pulls a great-uncle-Thorston-twice-removed before he’s 60?”

 

Valka shuddered. “Oh dear.”

 

Astrid raised an eyebrow. “He’s not THAT kind of crazy. And even if he were, that wouldn’t change anything.”

 

“Well, to each their own, then! I’m off to crown the chief, see you at the ceremony!” And Ruffnut cheerfully flounced out the door, using her foot to bang it shut behind her.

 

“What did great-uncle-Thorston-twice-removed do?” asked Heather.

 

Astrid opened her mouth to explain, but Valka interrupted. “It would be bad luck to talk about it, today of all days.”

 

“Oh.” Heather looked baffled and slightly concerned.

 

“Well, let’s focus on what we can do for good luck,” Astrid suggested brightly. “I like the ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue’ concept. I probably should have planned for it sooner. My dress is new.”

 

“Your eyes are blue. I think that’s enough,” said Heather, taking the dress off the table and shaking it out. “There, done.”

 

“And my bracelet cuffs are borrowed from Berk’s treasury. So I just need something old.” Astrid thought for a second. “Valka, even if most of the things you used at your wedding disappeared in the war or the move, could we incorporate any traditions besides the actual ceremony? What was special to you and Stoick? I’d like to honor him somehow.”

 

“That’s a wonderful idea, Astrid.” Valka stuck the last flower into the braided crown, staring into the distance. “Well- at the celebration where we first met- there was an old love song. We danced to it at our wedding, and then afterwards we’d sing it together often. It didn’t make much sense, since one of the lines was, ‘If you will marry me’, but we changed it to ‘since you have married me’. Sometimes Stoick would come back at night, in a good mood from a successful fishing trip or the village having completed repairs after an attack. He would come in the door whistling our song. I’d kiss him, and he’d twirl me around, and we’d sing and dance until we were out of breath and the smell of dinner burning told us it was ready.”

 

Astrid and Heather chuckled. 

 

“And when Hiccup came, he loved to hear us singing. The wee thing’s eyes would light up no matter what the song was. And then- well,” Valka trailed off. Her eyes filled with tears, but she smiled anyway. “The last time he sang it was when we met again. It was different, yet the same. It was a question again instead of a tradition. And when I said yes, his eyes smiled just the same as when we were younger.”

 

Astrid was tearing up a bit now, too. She reached for Valka’s hand and squeezed it.

 

Valka looked her in the eyes. “I think it would be lovely if you and Hiccup could sing it together. It’s a vow in itself. Do you know it? ‘I’ll swim and sail…’ “

 

“I know it. I think that would be beautiful, Valka. I couldn’t ask for a better wedding gift.”

 

They both wiped their eyes. “Come now, let me hug you before you get dressed so I don’t ruin your clothes,” Valka said, pulling her almost-daughter-in-law into a hug. “Look at me, making you cry right before the ceremony.”

 

Heather had been watching quietly, letting the moment play out, but she stepped around the table now too, joining in the hug. “Me too. Look at us three weepy messes.”

 

Astrid and Valka laughed a little, separating the group hug. “My son and daughter are lucky to have you as a friend,” said Valka.

 

“I think we’re mutually lucky,” Heather replied. “Now let’s get you ready, Astrid. The ceremony starts in an hour.”


End file.
